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Areli Hernández Vega

basket weaver, Ráquira

Areli Hernández works with fique (type of sisal) and esparto (needle grass) to make a variety of traditional crafts including fruit baskets, backpacks, and other decorative objects. She is a member of a craft collective in Ráquira that is dedicated to promoting traditional crafts and skills.

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Areli Hernández Vega weaves a baskets with esparto, a type of needle grass commonly used to make crafts in the Andean Highlands. Photo by Cristina Díaz-Carrera, Smithsonian Institution